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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23183380">Run-Down and Rampaging</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuuchre/pseuds/yuuchre'>yuuchre</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Gen, One Shot, Sibling Bonding</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:01:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,376</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23183380</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuuchre/pseuds/yuuchre</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Misfortune seems to have gripped Corrin in it's cold, unforgiving talons... but luckily, her sisters are there to help her through the ludicrous struggles life hurls at her.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Run-Down and Rampaging</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDragonLover/gifts">TheDragonLover</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This should have been posted a millennia ago and I'm truly, truly sorry about that. Despite the ungodly time of its posting, I hope this little fic brings you a bit of joy @TheDragonLover :) I love all of the royal girls and it was really fun to write about them!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Corrin sniffed, holding back a cough as she made her way past the arena. Her head had felt stuffy since this morning, but she wasn’t going to allow it to deter her from her daily duties. She had way too much to get done to let a little cough get in her way. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Corrin!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Elise bounded up to her, gripping Corrin’s sleeve and tugging her away from her path. She tensed, heart jumping into her throat, and her hand flew to the sword strapped to her side. “What is it? Did something happen?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I want a snack,” Elise whined, her lips drawn in a pout. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Corrin let out a relieved sigh and placed a hand on Elise’s head. With her free hand she brushed the girl’s bangs into place, a pang of relief hitting her as she recovered from her overreaction. “Don’t scare me like that, please. I thought someone was hurt.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry,” Elise mumbled, pressing her flushed face against Corrin’s upper arm. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I wanted you to be the one to make it for me.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You do know I’m a little sick, right? Should I really be handling your food?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t care! I miss you when you’re out on patrol. Please?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re going to have to learn to do these things for yourself eventually, but… ah, how can I refuse? You’re lucky I’m just about done with my patrol.” She gently peeled Elise off and pointed to the mess hall. “Do me a favour and pick out the ingredients while I finish up, okay?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay!” Elise beamed and skipped off with a little wave over her shoulder as she went. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Corrin headed towards the mess hall after another minute or so of walking, shaking her head at how easily Elise had wrapped her around her finger, and opened the door only to almost into Elise as she entered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Corrin, make me a fruit salad! Oh… um, please?” She held up a peach and a handful of berries. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think I can manage that.” Corrin accepted the fruits and brought them over to the kitchen counter, spreading them out onto a plate before starting her hunt for a small knife. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Elise, do you see knives anywhere?” She sifted through a small drawer with a huff. Why did things seem to rearrange themselves every time someone took a shift at the mess hall? She’d seen knives migrate from the utensil drawer to the countertop to the </span>
  <em>
    <span>ground</span>
  </em>
  <span> in a matter of days, despite Jakob’s harsh lectures to the guilty parties. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Here!” Elise held open another drawer, wielding a rather large cleaver in her small hands. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Corrin rushed over and snatched the utensil from her hand. “This is… a little bigger than we need.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She plucked a much smaller knife from the drawer and put back the other. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fruit salad, fruit salad,” Elise sang under her breath, scampering out to the dining area. After a quick wash of her hands to make sure she was clean and wouldn’t get Elise sick, Corrin began to slice the peach, distributing the pieces into a small bowl. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A huge crash sounded from the hall and a sharp cry rang out. Corrin gasped and fumbled the knife, nicking her finger and knocking the fruit bowl over in her panic. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As pain spiked through her finger and berries rolled off the counter, a fuzzy feeling clouded her mind. Her hands went slack and she was dimly aware of her body morphing into something else before she lost consciousness. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>*</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Corrin? Corrin! Big sister!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A small hand pushed her bangs back as she opened her eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gods…” she groaned, pushing herself up from her position on the ground. Elise frowned at her, her brows drawn in worry. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t…” Corrin nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay. What happened?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I went over to the hall to get a chair for myself and accidentally knocked a glass onto the floor. It broke and I heard this loud noise from the kitchen, so I went over and saw that you were a dragon! Only for a second though, then you turned back into yourself and fainted.” She pointed to a dented cabinet under the counter, one that Corrin was sure was perfectly fine before. “I think you got kind of squished in here.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was… concerning, to say the least. Sure, she’d lost control of her dragon powers before, but never over something so embarrassingly small like a cut on her finger. With any luck it was just a fluke, but she wasn’t about to show her concern to poor Elise. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about it. I guess I’m just a little out of sorts today.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Elise patted her arm. “You don’t have to make me a snack anymore. I’m just happy you’re okay.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Corrin felt herself smile at that. “Thanks, Elise. I’d better go find someone to help repair this.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>*</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey there, Corrin!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinoka waved her over to the entrance of the berry garden and gestured to Azura beside her. “We were thinking of— hey, are you okay?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Corrin nodded. “Yeah, there was just an incident with fruit and a knife and— I’m fine. What were you saying?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinoka squinted at her, scrutinizing her face. “Alright then… I was saying that Azura and I were going to hit the hot springs for a bit, and you seem like you could use a dunk in the water.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As much as she wanted to refuse and go sulk in her room, a spell in the hot springs sounded amazing, and she really didn’t want Hinoka on her back for skipping out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… would love that, actually.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Marvelous,” Azura said, gesturing towards the facility in question. “We’ll meet you there in, say, twenty minutes?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sounds great. I’ll see you guys there.” She turned away, a bit of guilt rising in her stomach for hiding the dragon incident from them. It probably wasn’t anything to fuss about, and she just knew her siblings would get all up in arms if they found out about it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Corrin suddenly stubbed her toe on something and lost her balance, toppling gracelessly into the dirt. Pain shot through her ankle and she let out a groan of annoyance rather than hurt. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my— seriously?” Corrin shifted her foot and winced when something sharp grazed the skin of her leg. She gingerly turned around and could barely stop herself from letting out a scream of frustration when she saw the axe under her bare ankle, in disbelief that someone was so foolish as to leave a huge weapon lying around on the floor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She barely had time to think before she was changing again, frustration clouding her mind as she grew claws like daggers and swiped the weapon across the field. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Corrin, darling, I believe that’s my axe.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The voice cut through the chaos in her mind and her body immediately reverted back to its human form. Shame bloomed in her chest and reddened her cheeks as she turned to face her sister. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Camilla picked up the axe and cradled it tenderly in her hands as she approached Corrin. “Whatever is the matter with you? Are you alright?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Corrin avoided her gaze. “I tripped, that’s all. Lost control for a minute. Speaking of which, how do you even leave an axe in the middle of a walkway?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know, darling, I must have put it down and forgotten about it. I’m more worried about you, to be honest.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m— Oh, gods, Camilla, I don’t know what’s the matter. I can’t seem to keep it together today.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Camilla leaned forward and placed a hand on Corrin’s face, squeezing her cheeks with a fond smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You seem a little under the weather. Perhaps you need to relax more. All this fighting has got to be taking a toll on your sweet little self, no?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I guess. I was just heading over to the hot springs.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Camilla smiled and let go of Corrin. “I’d love to join you, but I have a training session planned with Beruka and Selena. Do have fun, though!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She planted a quick kiss on Corrin’s cheek and wiggled her fingers in a goodbye wave before sauntering away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Corrin figured it was probably about time to head to the hot springs, and she was certainly ready to relax. Nothing was going to delay her from a bath now, be it berries or axes or anything half as ridiculous. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>*</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She slipped into the hot springs building after a quick stop at her private quarters for a change of clothes, her footsteps echoing in the empty corridor. Even if she beat Azura and Hinoka here, a few extra minutes would help rather than hurt. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a breath of relief, she sped towards the water and had already plunged a foot in when she looked up and saw two wide-eyed men staring back at her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was too late to stop herself. She fell into the spring, the embarrassment in her face hotter than the water itself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh gods not again, I can’t believe I forgot to check the bathing times </span>
  </em>
  <span>again</span>
  <em>
    <span>, how foolish can I get? </span>
  </em>
  <span>she thought in agony, not even bothering to try and stop herself from transforming once more. This was it. This was truly the end. She was going to die here from shame, flopping around in a pool of water as a giant dragon while two of her comrades looked on in utter horror. There were worse ways to go, she supposed. She couldn’t think of them, but they surely existed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Corrin?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A voice caught her attention and someone began to sing. She relaxed, letting the melody center her and bring her back to human form. The song stopped and she looked towards the entrance, wanting to sink below the water’s surface when she saw Hinoka, Azura, Silas and Jakob looking at her with various degrees of shock on their faces. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Azura was the first to step forward. “Corrin, is there something you want to talk to us about?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Corrin climbed out of the spring and gratefully accepted a towel from Hinoka, pulling it tight around her cold shoulders, and tried not to look like she was noticing Azura usher the men out of the building. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t want to worry anyone, but I guess it’s too late for that. Today, it’s been weirdly difficult to control my transformations. I’ve lost it at little things that have gone wrong, like--” She sneezed and cleared her throat, chuckling weakly when the women jumped. “Don’t worry, I haven’t transformed at something as insignificant as a sneeze yet.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Azura gazed thoughtfully at Corrin. “I wonder… might your loss of control be due to a buildup of fatigue? You’re obviously sick and stressed from your duties, so perhaps it’s upsetting your control over your dragon side.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I agree that you haven’t been at your peak health lately. No offense little sister, but I think all your work is taking a noticeable toll on you.” Hinoka smiled sympathetically. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Corrin bit back an argument, secretly agreeing that things were getting a little tough lately. Asking for help was difficult when she wanted to appear competent to her allies, but then again, she wasn’t winning any respect points by transforming into a dragon at every minor inconvenience. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I guess that makes sense. I just don’t want to let anyone down by slacking off.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Azura shook her head and smiled softly. “Taking care of yourself is not the same as slacking off. In order to maintain the army, you must first maintain your own health.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinoka gave Corrin a light punch on the shoulder and shook a finger at her. “If you don’t change into something warm and take a nap this instant, I’m going to have to tell the whole army to be on the lookout for you overworking yourself, and then you won’t be able to patrol a meter without someone flagging you down. Get some rest, alright?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, fine, if you really insist,” Corrin laughed, pulling her towel-covered hands up to her face to hide her smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>*</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The air was light and cool on Corrin’s skin as she finished up her patrol. She had the evening shift, the only one she was allowed for the day until she became ‘one hundred percent better’ according to Azura’s standards. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The promise that everyone would lend a hand whenever she needed it did a lot to relieve her stress, though. She felt terrible for endangering her friends by overworking herself to the point of involuntary dragon transformation, but she swore to herself to never let it get to that point again. Her sisters made her swear it to them, too, so she’d never give them such a scare again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lady Corrin!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She turned and saw Hana and Effie waving at her from a little ways off, towels slung over their shoulders. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re going down to the hot springs for a while. Do you want to join us?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Corrin tried to mask her wince, remembering the last time she was there, and waved them off with a shake of her head. “I’d better not, though I would if I could. I really should rest after this patrol.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hana nodded and gave her a thumbs up. “Oops, that’s right. You’re supposed to be recovering. Well, I hope you feel better soon! We’ll visit you later to cheer you up, then.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They continued on their way, and Corrin looked after them with a smile. Sometimes, though it was hard to do so, telling her friends ‘no’ was simply the right thing to do, especially when her health hung in the balance. Better to miss a trip to the hot springs to rest rather than go and turn into a huge, angry dragon again. Besides, Hinoka would have her head if she knew she decided to skip out on resting. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Corrin smiled and resumed her route, a new spring in her step. Resting was obnoxious, but she now realized it was as much of a duty as any one of her army tasks. Not to mention that less embarrassment due to random metamorphosis was always a good thing. Perhaps tomorrow she’d be well enough for two patrols… with a well-deserved nap between them, of course. </span>
</p>
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